Left To Die
by Traw
Summary: Steve McGarrett and the rest of the newly formed elite police unit Hawaii Five 0 race to discover why one of their own was dumped and left to die. Was this some kind of revenge from someone in Danny's past or maybe something more...?
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** The guys aren't mine although I wish they were. I am just playing with them for a while before I return them to their rightful owners slightly damaged and used.

**A/N: **Thank you heaps to my wonderful beta Jenthetrulysly.

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Holding an armful of paper plates, Styrofoam cups and plastic cutlery from their romantic early breakfast by the ocean, Kiki Kalani struggled to lift the heavy lid of the dumpster at the end of the deserted parking lot. 'Yes.' She decided quietly to herself, 'This time their marriage would work.' Humming softly, she glanced back across the empty beach and smiled. He had promised her that he was a reformed man and that all of the affairs were now a thing of the past. She was now the only one he ever wanted, and the rest had been terrible mistakes. They all had meant nothing to him.

Holding the bin open with one hand, she began to drop the rubbish into it. "This time will be for..." She whispered before her whisper died away and a scream of disbelieving horror tore from her throat as she stared at a lax hand and the bruised and bloody face of a young man barely visible beneath the rubbish in the bin. "Oh God, Robert!" She screamed as the lid dropped with a loud clang that reverberated around the parking lot. As she backed away, she slapped her hand to her mouth in a futile attempt to stop her breakfast from coming back up.

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Staring at the cell phone that he still held in his hand, Steve McGarrett frowned; he had just received a very angry phone call from Rachel demanding to know where his partner was. Danny was supposed to have picked up Grace last night; he had promised to take his daughter to see the latest Disney movie, but had not shown up. It had ruined a planned romantic evening out for Rachel and Grace's step-dad Stan. A sickening lump of fear settled in Steve's stomach. Something was wrong; Danny would never forget a promise he had made to Gracie.

He jumped as the phone in his hand rang again. Glancing down at it, he sighed as he read the caller's I.D- HPD before he pressed it against his ear and snapped, "McGarrett!"

His face lost its color as he listened to the caller. Before the phone call had ended he was already on his feet and reaching for his coat as he snapped. "When?... Which hospital?... No, I will meet the ambulance at the hospital... I want the whole beach gone over with a fine tooth comb. Tell the lab boys I want every little piece of evidence they can find."

"What's happening, Steve?" Chin asked as he looked up from the file he was reading as McGarrett slid the phone back into his pocket.

"Danny was found dumped unconscious in a bin." Steve announced tersely as he headed towards the door.

"Oh, no!" Kono gasped as she pushed away the keyboard that she had been typing her report on and jumped to her feet, following Steve's and Chin's egress from the office.

"Chin, I want you to get up to that little cove next to the Pipe, take over the investigation. HPD will fill you in when you get there. Kono, I need you to find out what Danny's movements were last night. He was supposed to have picked Grace up after he left here but he never made it. Check the flea infested hole he calls his apartment, see if he even made it home." Steve ordered as they ran down the internal Koa staircase that led down to the lobby.

"On it, Steve!"

"I'm on my way."

The two acknowledgments of his orders were almost lost to McGarrett as he ran through the ornate Palace doors down the cement stairs towards his car.

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Killing the siren as he swerved into the hospital grounds, Steve McGarrett slammed on the brakes hard, bringing his car rocking to a stop inches from the front of the parked HPD patrol car that had escorted the ambulance from the North Shore. Opening the car door, he climbed out and noticed that the back doors of the ambulance were already open. Without a moment's hesistation, he ran into the Emergency Rooms. He paused near the admission desk, his heart beating wildly as he glanced around. Steve ignored the startled nurse sitting behind the desk as she asked if she could be of any assistance. Spotting a small crowd of medical staff and HPD officers surrounding a gurney as it disappeared into one of the examination rooms, he waved her away and hurried across to join them.

Pushing open the door, he was shocked at the sight he found in front of him. Danny was filthy; his face and hair were covered with grime and blood as he was carefully lifted from the gurney and lowered onto the examination bed. Stepping a little closer, Steve watched a nurse took Danny's pulse and blood pressure as the doctor began his examination by cautiously checking both of Danny's ears for blood or fluid.

"Pulse - 102 and thready, resps are 30 and shallow and BP is 65/40." The nurse murmured as she removed the BP cuff from around the patient's arm.

The doctor nodded as he gently lifted Danny's eyelids and shone a light briefly into both eyes, shaking his head at what he saw. "Let's get him started on a saline drip, then I want x-rays - full neck and skull series. Let's also get a CAT scan." He murmured as he lowered the sheet that covered Danny to reveal prominent dark bruises that stood out on his skin despite the thick layer of dirt that coated him. The physician ran his hands gently across his patient's chest before he added, "He's going to need chest x-rays as well. I can feel several broken ribs."

"Doc?" Steve asked softly, taking a step towards the bed.

"What the hell is he doing in here?" The doctor growled as he looked over his shoulder to recognize the man standing near the door. McGarrett was in charge of the Governor's newly formed elite police Unit of Hawaii Five-0 and the man lying on the examination table was one of his detectives. Returning his full attention back to the injured man on the bed, he ordered the young student nurse who was attempting to wash away some of the grime, "Nurse, I want you to escort Mr. McGarrett to the waiting room please."

"But Doc..." Steve began to object.

"Now!" Doc dismissed as he turned back to the lead detective, "And I want you to go with her without any arguments McGarrett. Williams needs my full attention and I can't give that to him if I have you standing behind me asking questions." Softening his voice, the doctor added gently, "I promise that as soon as I finish my examination, I will come and update you but please go."

Nodding silently, McGarrett allowed the young nurse to grab his arm and guide him out of the room. He managed to catch one last glimpse of Danny lying motionless on the bed as the doctor leaned over the injured man, snapping soft sharp orders to the attending nursing staff as the Examination room door drifted closed. Steve had been unable to hear the doctor's tense orders, but the doctor's tone left McGarrett with an uneasy feeling that Danny's condition was far more precarious then he had let on initially. He hesitated outside the closed door, torn between obeying the doctor's orders to go to the waiting room and his own overwhelming urge to return to the room and be by Danny's side in case...

He couldn't allow himself to even _think_ the words as he reluctantly turned and headed towards the small waiting room.

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Ignoring the hostile glares from the two officers assigned to keep the curious throng of tourists and surfers away from the crime scene, Chin Ho Kelly quickly ducked under the police tape and walked across to where a HPD sergeant standing beside the large metal dumpster. The sergeant was watching the Forensic Scientist dust the lid for fingerprints but as Chin approached him he turned and glared at the Asian detective in disgust.

"Holloman." Chin nodded with a forced tone of civility.

"Kelly." The older man growled as he looked the detective up and down, his contempt for the younger man evident on his face as he sneered, "I heard that McGarrett assigned you to the Governor's new Special Task force. I guess he didn't do his homework or doesn't he care that he has a dirty cop on the team?"

Curling his hands into tight fists, Chin forced himself to ignore the snarky remark as he demanded, "What have we got?"

"Other than a good cop who was almost beaten to death and dumped like a piece of unwanted garbage in a bin…" The HPD sergeant sighed as he looked around the scene before he returned his attention to the man he despised more than any other man in the world; a man who should not be wearing a police badge or standing beside him. He answered sullenly, nodding his head towards a couple speaking with a young patrolman. "All we have so far is a couple whose romantic sunrise breakfast was interrupted by finding Danny Williams' unconscious body in the dumpster and several hundred fingerprints, one of which could have come from our perp or from any one of hundreds of tourists and surfers who come to this beach each day. We also have a set of tire tracks that stop just a few feet away from the dumpster, also two sets of shoe prints that lead from where the car stopped." The Sergeant nodded towards the fresh tire impressions and foot prints that were marked by a set of orange cones. "It could be from the perps and the car they used to dump Williams here or it could be from someone who was just getting rid of some rubbish but was too lazy to walk all the way to the dumpster."

Leaning down to take several photos of the tire tracks and the shoe prints with his cell phone camera, Chin asked. "So no evidence that this was where Williams was attacked?"

"No... No evidence of a struggle, no blood splatters or blood trails that would be indicative of such a violent attack. We did find some blood smears on the rim of the dumpster, probably caused when they dropped Williams' body into the bin. " Holloman answered as he pointed out three large smears of dried blood. "After they dumped him in the bin, they covered him with garbage."

Rising back to his feet, Chin glanced towards the Forensic Scientist as he ordered, "I want the garbage collected and fingerprinted." Seeing the small grimace of distaste at the order, Chin sighed, "Maybe we will get lucky..." Turning back to the gray haired HPD sergeant, the Asian detective waved his hand towards the curious crowd of on-lookers. "I want everyone questioned, especially the surfers. Maybe one of them saw something suspicious yesterday or early this morning."

"What about the Kalani's?" Holloman tilted his head impatiently in the direction of the couple who were still talking with the patrolman.

Glancing at middle-aged couple, Chin ordered. "Take them back to HPD for their statements. I'm sure McGarrett is going to want to talk to them after he gets back from the hospital."

The hostility momentarily vanished from the HPD sergeant's face and was replaced with concern as he asked. "Any word on Danny's condition? I worked with him on a few cases just after he got here from the mainland. Only came here because of his kid. Good cop…nice guy."

Chin shook his head. "The last update I got from McGarrett was the doctors were examining him."

"I'm surprised he even made it to the hospital. When I first saw him I thought he was dead. But that's what he gets when he trusts _you_ to cover his back. I tried to warn him." Holloman muttered as he turned and walked away.

Battling the desire to pull his gun and shoot the HPD sergeant as the older man walked away, Chin turned back towards the Forensic Specialist. "McGarrett's going to want your report ASAP." He growled before he slapped the smaller man's shoulder in a silent token of apology as he forced a small smile, "The sooner the better, Brah."

"Will do." The Hawaiian specialist agreed. With a dismissive shake of his hand he turned back towards the steel dumpster to focus on the task in front of him.

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Checking his watch, McGarrett ran his hand over his chin nervously. It had been almost an hour since he had been escorted unceremoniously from the Examination Room. So far there had been no word on Danny's condition. Turning towards the window, McGarrett stared out over the hospital's well manicured lawns and gardens. "What happened last night Danny? Who did this to you and why?" He whispered to the cool glass before he leaned his head against it.

"Boss?" Kono's soft voice startled the Commander and he turned in surprise as the rookie cop entered the small waiting room as she asked worriedly, "Any word on Danny?"

"The doc's still examining him. It doesn't look good." Steve sighed.

"Does Grace and his ex know yet?" Kono asked hesitantly.

"Not yet, I thought I would wait until we know more about Danny's condition before I contacted them." Steve answered as he briefly turned back towards the window. He glanced back to the female officer and demanded, "What have we got?"

"Danny's room looked like someone had ransacked it Boss; the sheets and blankets were pulled from the bed, his cloths had all been pulled from the closet and were thrown across the bed and floor, his bedside drawer was open and it looked like someone had rummaged around in it as if someone was searching for something," Kono reported softly, "but there were no obvious signs of forced entry. I have the lab guys and HPD checking it out."

"I meant to warn you … Danny's room always looks like that. It should have been declared a natural disaster zone months ago!" McGarrett allowed a small smile to tug at his lips before it quickly disappeared, "Any sign of Danny's Camaro?"

"No, I have an APB out on it." Kono answered as she walked across to where McGarrett was standing near the window, "I've also pulled the records on all the cases Danny had been involved with while working with HPD. He was involved in several cases ranging from extortion to robbery to murder. He also did a stint undercover on a drug investigation."

"Any problems with the investigations or the arrests?" Steve asked.

"Most of the cases went by the book Steve; the crims were caught, convicted and are serving their time in Oahu prison."

"Most went by the book, what about the ones that didn't?" Steve queried.

Kono seriously considered the question for a few moments before nodding slowly. "Yeah, there was one arrest where the perp threatened Danny. Two death threats that were serious enough that Detective Kalili insisted Danny include them in his reports." Passing the file to McGarrett to peruse, Kono continued. "The case involved a drug trafficker named Ronald Hill about four months ago. He was arrested and convicted of trying to import cocaine to the islands. Danny was working undercover and managed to win Hill's trust as a drug buyer before breaking the case wide open when he tipped off HPD about the shipment coming in. Hill threatened Danny both at HPD during his initial interview and later during his trail."

"What were the threats?" Steve asked anxiously as he studied the photo of the drug runner.

"He threatened that one day soon Danny would be fish food for the sharks off the North Shore." Kono answered, unsurprised when her boss looked up sharply.

"The North Shore?" Steve snapped. "Where is he now?"

"In solitary." Kono pulled out her notebook and opened it, quickly checking her notes before she looked back up at her boss, "He got into a fight during the very first day of his sentence and was put in solitary. The warden assured me that he has had no visitors nor has he contacted anyone."

"Check out his family, friends and acquaintances. Just because he landed in solitary doesn't mean that he hadn't already organized a hit beforehand. Solitary confinement can sometimes make a very good alibi." Kono nodded as McGarrett demanded, "What about any threats that Danny might have received in New Jersey?"

"I have already contacted the New Jersey police department. They are going to check Danny's old case files and let us know ASAP."

"What about Danny's ex and Gracie's new step dad Stan?" The dark haired Commander asked.

"You don't think…?" Kono gasped, stunned.

McGarrett shook his head, "No I don't, but that doesn't mean that they shouldn't be checked out and eliminated as suspects. After all, Rachel is fighting Danny tooth and nail over visitation rights to Grace. We can't leave any rock unturned."

"Commander McGarrett." McGarrett turned and watched warily as the doctor entered the room. "I understand that you are listed as Detective Williams' Next-Of-Kin."

Steve nodded as the doctor tilted his head sideways towards the hard plastic chairs that lined the wall in a silent invitation to sit down.

"How is he Doc?" McGarrett asked as he and Kono sat down.

"Critical." The doctor answered succinctly as he grabbed one of the chairs and sat down in front of the two Five-0 detectives. Looking down at his hands the doctor drew in a deep breath before he flicked his gaze back at the two anxious faces watching him, "His injuries are consistent with being beaten both by fists and a blunt instrument- probably a baseball bat. His right arm has been broken and he has suffered a skull fracture resulting in some sub-dural bleeding that we are hoping will resolve itself without the need for surgical intervention, although we will be keeping a close eye on it. Several ribs on the right side of his chest have been also been fractured but what concerns us most of all is the internal bleeding. His spleen has been ruptured and we suspect that his liver may be also be lacerated causing him to hemorrhage internally. We have started him on a blood transfusion but we need to go in immediately and stop the bleeding. There was no signs of sexual assault," The doctor shook his head in amazement, "I have seen guys who have lost a lot less blood than he has who have failed to make it to the hospital. I don't know what is giving him the will to fight but whatever it is I hope it keeps him fighting."

"It's his daughter."

"Excuse me?" The doctor asked in confusion.

"It's his daughter, Grace, keeping him fighting. He's not going to give up without a fight, not when he still has her. " McGarrett answered quietly, "Can we see him?"

The doctor nodded as he rose to his feet, "Only for a few minutes, the OR is waiting for him."

"Mahalo Doc." Steve murmured as he and Kono followed the doctor out of the small waiting room.

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Following the doctor into the Examination Room, Steve was unable to stop the gasp of shock that slipped from between his lips as he stopped and stared at the motionless figure lying on the bed. It was only the soft beeps of the heart monitor and the small rise and fall of Danno's chest that reassured them that Danny was still in the land of the living.

"Auwe!"

Steve could only nod in agreement of Kono's soft expression of shock and surprise as he continued to stare at his partner. The dark bruises that marred Danny's face and chest stood out starkly against the thin white sheet that covered him as the lower half of his face was hidden beneath an oxygen mask. The arm resting on top of a soft pillow looked swollen and strangely bent where it should have been straight. A bag of blood hung above the bed, the I.V. tubing snaked down from the bag before disappearing beneath a small bandage on the back of Danny's left hand.

Stepping closer to the bed, Kono removed a small necklace that she carried in her pocket before she shyly placed the small silver medallion into the palm of Danny's limp hand. She gently curled his fingers around before leaning down close to his ear and whispered, "You need this more than I do at the moment Danny. It's the medallion that you gave me for my graduation; St. Michael will watch over you and keep you safe brah."

Moving away from Danny's side, the young woman brushed away the tears that were slowly trickling down the sides of her face as she watched Steve lean over the motionless detective.

"I know I told you to stop talking at times Danny, but this isn't quite what I had in mind! See what happens when I let you out of my sight for a few minutes." Steve mock scolded as he squeezed his partner's arm. "But you're safe now Danno, there will be two HPD officers guarding your door until we catch the bastard who did this. And don't worry about Gracie. I will make sure she knows that Danno didn't forget her to pick her up to take her to the movies yesterday. As soon as you are strong enough I will make sure she is able to come and see you." Steve promised solemnly.

"I'm sorry Commander McGarrett but the O.R. is ready for him." The nurse interrupted softly.

Looking towards the waiting medical staff, Steve returned his attention back to his partner and gave the cool arm beneath his hand another gentle reassuring squeeze, "The Doc wants to take you up to the operating room now, Partner… but I will be waiting in your room for you. Just remember Danno you are not alone. We're here… I'm here… and I'm not going anywhere." He promised as he stepped away from the bed, his hazel gaze locked on the hurt detective the entire time before Danny was wheeled from the room.

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Following the gurney carrying his partner out of the examination room, McGarrett watched as Danny was whisked down the corridor and into the elevator that would take him up to the operating room. Pulling his cell phone from his pocket, he quickly entered a number that Danny had insisted he place on speed dial shortly after they had become partners. This number was to be used only in emergencies, and then only if it was a matter of life and death. He waited for several long moments before his call was finally answered. "Rachel. It's Steve McGarrett," he began.

Kono put a bit of distance between herself and her boss in an attempt to give him at least the illusion of privacy while he spoke to Danny's ex, before discreetly attempting to brush away the tears that still clung to her cheeks as she looked around the emergency room. She had been pre-warned by the doctor of the seriousness of Danny's injuries but she hadn't been fully prepared to see just _how_ seriously her friend and colleague was injured. Her vision blurred momentarily as she felt the hot sting of tears as they threatened to fall again. She struggled to blink them away; she was a cop and cops didn't cry. Despite this, the tears still ran freely down the sides of her cheeks.

"Hey Cuz, are you alright? Has something happened to Danny?"

Chin's soft question made her jump as she looked into her cousin's worried face. "They've just taken him up to surgery. It doesn't look good Chin. He's bleeding internally and the doc said he's critical. Steve's telling Rachel now." She looked back at McGarrett who was rubbing his hand in frustration through his dark hair as he tried to interrupt Rachel's very obviously angry and loud tirade.

"Wait! Wait! …Hold on…" Steve's own voice rose in irritation at Rachel's never-ending rant about Dan's dangerous profession and the danger he could have placed Grace in the night before. Ignoring the belittling and snarky remarks about his partner, Steve finally broke through the verbal wall, "Did you just say that Danny contacted you last night and told you he would be late because he was meeting with someone about a case he was working on?" Frowning in confusion at their boss' question, Chin and Kono turned to eavesdrop into his conversation. They listened as Steve asked, "Did he tell you anything else- like where he was going to meet this person?" McGarrett shook his head as Danny's ex-wife answered before she launched off into another heated diatribe.

The Commander allowed an angry sigh to escape from his lips as he interrupted Rachel again, asking if Grace needed someone to pick her up to bring her to see her father in the hospital or if they would be making their own way. He waited only for a moment for her reply, his face reflecting the anger he felt towards this woman before he added firmly, "I will keep you informed about Danny's condition and please…please tell Grace that Danno loves her." He disconnected the call before Rachel could utter another word and slid the phone back into his pocket before muttering, "No wonder Danny has her ringtone set to Psycho!"

"Steve?" Chin asked as he stepped closer to his boss.

McGarrett turned and frowned as he faced his two colleagues. "Rachel claims Danny rang her last night about ten minutes before he was due to pick up Grace and told her that he would be about an hour late because he had to meet someone about a case he was working on. She said that was the last time she heard from him- he never showed up to pick up Grace or rang back to explain why he didn't come."

"But what case was he talking about?" Kono asked in confusion as she looked between Steve and Chin, "The only cases we are working on at the moment are the Lomand's extortion case and the Hemman murder."

"Maybe Danny is working on something on his own - an old case from HPD. Something personal maybe?" Chin speculated.

"Rachel said Danny rang about ten minutes before he was supposed to pick up Grace. We know he left the office about ten minutes before that and he was heading straight over to Rachel's. So whoever he was meeting must have rung his cell phone." Steve answered as he began to move towards the nurse's desk with Chin and Kono following closely behind. "So the number or the name of who ever arranged to meet with him should be listed in his incoming phone log." Stopping in front of the nurse's desk, he requested Danny's personal effects before turning back to Chin as the nurse hurried across to the emergency examination room to retrieve the items. "What did you find out at the scene?"

"Not much, Steve," Chin answered honestly. "No signs of a struggle or any type of foul play. Looks like Danny was grabbed and attacked somewhere else before he was dumped in the bin on the North Shore. They probably thought he was dead and were just getting rid of the body. HPD found some tire tracks and shoe prints close to the bin and there were several blood smears on the bin, probably Danny's, from when whoever it was dumped him inside the bin." Chin told his boss as he pulled out his cell phone and showed Steve and Kono the photos he had taken at the scene. "I had the lab boys collect the contents of the bin as well for examination."

Thanking the nurse for the plastic bag that contained Danny's clothes and personal belongings, Steve studied the bag, frowning at its contents as he asked. "What about the couple who found him?"

"They were just having a romantic breakfast on the beach, watching the sun rise. They are both down at HPD giving their written statements."

McGarrett nodded as he leaned over the nurse's station and grabbed a pair of latex gloves from the box behind the counter and slipped them on his hands before he opened the bag and quickly searched its contents. "Did HPD give you Danny's gun, wallet and I.D.?" He asked as he pulled out the empty hip holster and briefly studied it before placing it back into the bag.

Kono glanced at her cousin as Chin shook his head, aware of that many of the HPD officers continued to distrust him and were not afraid to show their hostility. "Maybe they forgot to give Danny's belongings to Chin," she volunteered. "I can ask for them when I take Danny's belongings to the lab to be checked out."

McGarrett's jaw tensed in anger at the poor treatment Chin received from the HPD officers as he searched for Danny's cell phone. "His phone and car keys are also missing." Steve confirmed as he pulled his hand free from the bag and passed it to Kono. "Tell the lab we want the full treatment."

"Done, Boss!" Kono answered before she hurried out of the emergency room, glad to have something to do rather than just waiting around, not knowing.

Steve turned back to Chin. "We also need the phone records for Danny's cell phone for last night. I want to know what calls he made and received and what time they were made."

"On it, Steve." The Asian detective replied, pausing for a moment as he looked at the worried man standing in front of him. "You going to stay here?"

Torn between the desire to rush out and turn over every rock and grain on this island to find the scum who had done this to his partner and the promise that he had made to Danny only a few short minutes before that he was not alone, Steve looked towards the closed elevator doors and slowly nodded, "I promised Danno that I wasn't going anywhere. I want to be here when he gets out of surgery so he's not alone."

"Keep us updated." Chin asked.

McGarrett nodded as Chin turned and followed Kono out of the hospital.


	2. Chapter 2

Kono watched as the forensic specialist carefully laid Danny's torn and bloody shirt out on the table before carefully examining it. Grabbing a pair of tweezers, he gently removed what appeared to be a single thin strand from the material. "Looks like we have a strand of hair from one of the perps," he announced as he held the hair against the light and briefly studied it. After a few moments he placed it into one of the open petrie dishes sitting on the table before returning his attention to the shirt.

"Have we got anything else, Charlie?" Kono asked as she shifted restlessly from foot to foot. She was extremely anxious, longing to be out on the street searching for Danny's attackers.

"The blood smears were AB negative, same blood type as Detective Williams. It was probably transferred to the bin when he was lifted and dropped in." Charlie answered distractedly as he lifted several small round grains from the front of the shirt to drop them into a second dish before adding, "Hopefully these seeds will tell us where Detective Williams might have gone. It's a long shot, but hey." He shrugged as he looked up at the pretty HPD rookie in front of him before continuing, "I've also collected lots and lots of fingerprints, but most of them were too smudged to get an ID from. However I did manage to lift a good right hand palm print from the top of the bin. I'm running it through the system now but so far no hits. Mind ya, the palm print could be just from a tourist who was doing the right thing by throwing their garbage in the bin rather than on the ground."

"What about the tire and shoe prints found at the scene?"

He shook his head. "Haven't had a chance to check them yet. Two of my guys are out with the flu and the other is busy working the Hopkin's murder case. I should be able to give you a full report in a couple more hours." Charlie promised as she returned her attention to the blood stained shirt.

"Sooner would be better if you can do it." Kono suggested softly, "Danny Williams is not only a pona hoaloha, he is ohana, brah."

"I hear ya!" The forensic scientist answered as he glanced up just in time to see Kono turn and walk towards the door.

0)0)0)0)

Steve McGarrett checked at his watch as he impatiently paced the small waiting room. He hated the waiting, absolutely _abhorred_having to stand around like this when he could be out in the field searching for the answers that he so desperately needed. Worst of all, he hated the fact that his partner was lying in a critical condition in the operating room where there was nothing to do but pray and hope that Danno was going to be okay.

Hearing the waiting room door open behind him, the Lt Commander spun around. Ihe surprise was evident on his face as Grace ran towards him before launching into a hug, wrapping her small arms around his waist as a young woman followed her into the room. "Steve, where's Danno? Is he hurt bad?" Grace asked as she looked up at him, the fear evident on her small face.

"The doctors are looking after him, Gracie." He answered softly as he watched the anxious woman slowly approach.

"Lt Commander McGarrett?" The woman asked as she nervously pushed a strand of brown hair from her face and reached for the child who was still clinging to him. "I'm…I'm Rachel. We spoke on the phone." She began as a tear slowly slid down the side of her face. Brushing it away with the back of her hand, she swallowed hard as she took a few moments to regain her composure. In a steady voice, she asked quietly. "How…how is he?"

"He's still in surgery," Steve answered gently. All the white-hot anger that he had felt towards this woman began to cool as he saw the terror and concern in her eyes. "The doctors promised to give me an update as soon as they can. He was bleeding internally…" Pausing, he glanced down at Grace before he looked back up at her mother. "His condition was critical…" he stated softly.

Choking back a sob, Rachel nodded wordlessly as she opened her small purse and began desperately searching through its contents as the tears began to run freely down her face.

Gently disconnecting Grace from around his waist, Steve quickly retrieved the small box of tissues from the small table in the corner of the room and offered the box to the upset woman.

"Thank you." Rachel whispered as she carefully pulled a tissue free from the box and dabbed the tears away. "You must think I am some kind of a…" She cast a quick look at her daughter before returning her attention to the tall dark man who was now her ex-husband's new partner before she finished, "A bitch. I…I don't know what Daniel might have told you about us but…" Her bottom lip quivered and she swallowed again, wiping at the tears that continued to trickle down her face, "But your phone call was the call I have always dreaded that I was going to receive one day…"

McGarrett nodded in understanding as he gently guided both Grace and Rachel towards the hard plastic seats that lined the back wall of the room. He waited until they both were seated before sitting down beside Rachel as he quietly asked. "You said on the phone that Danno called you last night and said he was going to be late because he was meeting someone?"

"He…he said it was something to do with a case he was working on." Rachel answered, "I...I gave him such a hard time about it. I…I didn't-"

"Did he say who it was he was going to meet? Or what case he was working on?" Steve interjected softly.

"No, nothing." Rachel shook her head slowly, "He just said he was going to be late. That it was important…" Biting her bottom lip, she looked away as she confessed. "I didn't give him much time to explain. I was so angry that he was going to be late…he had promised to pick Grace up at six. Stan and I had tickets to a show…The last thing he said was to tell Gracie that he loved her." Looking up at McGarrett, she whispered in confusion. "Why are you asking about who he was going to meet?" Her eyes opened wide as she gasped, "You don't know, do you?"

"Danno told me that he was going to meet someone at the Markets." Grace interrupted.

"The International Markets?" Steve frowned.

Gracie nodded but anything more she was going to say was quickly forgotten as the door opened and the surgeon entered. Quickly rising from his seat, Steve crossed the room to meet him, as Rachel followed him reluctantly. "Doc?" Steve asked.

"As I said before Steve, he's a fighter." The doctor began, glancing at the young woman and child who were standing beside the Lt Commander.

Remembering the woman standing beside him, Steve rushed to make the introductions. "Doctor Simons, this is Rachel, Danny's ex-wife and his daughter, Grace."

The doctor nodded at Rachel before he gave a small smile and looked down at Grace, "So you're Grace; the reason why your dad's such a fighter. He must love you very much, sweetheart." Returning his gaze to the adults, he continued. "Detective Williams is in critical condition but his condition is stabilizing. We have removed his spleen and packed a small tear in his liver to stop the internal hemorrhaging. We are keeping a close on the subdural hematoma. He is extremely weak because of the loss of blood and is at high risk of developing complications from pneumonia and infection. We have commenced him on a regime of powerful broad spectrum antibiotics that will hopefully prevent any complications before they can start. The next few hours are going to be critical."

"Can we see him?" Rachel asked.

The surgeon nodded, "He is in recovery at the moment. We should be moving him up to ICU in a few minutes. As soon as we have him settled, I will send a nurse down to take you to see him. Now I just better get back to Detective Williams in Recovery, so if you will excuse me."

"Mahalo Doc." Steve said softly, receiving a small handshake from the doctor in acknowledgment before he hurried from the room.

0)0)0)0)

Chin frowned as he critically studied the small list of phone numbers that Danny's cell phone had sent and received the night before. His finger touched one of the numbers listed on the computer screen, bringing up a name and address almost instantly. The frown deepened as his fingers danced quickly across the keyboard. His eyes scanned the photo and information that loaded on the screen before he quickly typed several more words and phrases before hitting enter. All the breath from his lungs rushed out as a chillingly familiar photo flickered up onto the screen. "Just what did you get yourself into, Brah?" he whispered to the empty room as he stared at the two photos in horror.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: **This story is slightly AU as I started to write it before we met Rachel in the show. This story is being reposted after I tidied it up a little. Thank you heaps to my wonderful beta Jenthetrulysly.

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Following the surgeon into the surgical ICU, Steve hesitated as they reached Danny's room. Pausing just outside the door, he lightly grabbed Rachel's arm and waited until she turned before he nodded towards the door then said softly, "Grace and I will give you a few quiet moments with Danny before we come in. It will give me a chance to talk to Grace about what Danny told her on the phone about the man he was meeting."

Directing her brown gaze to the tall Lieutenant Commander before she looked back down at her daughter, Rachel swallowed hard as she nodded. "Thank you, Mr. McGarrett," she whispered before taking a large deep breath, following the doctor into the room.

Steve turned back to Grace and knelt down until he was eye-to-eye with her then began to gently explain. "Before we go in to see Danno, I need to ask you some very important questions about what he told you on the phone last night."

"About the man he was going to meet?" Grace frowned.

"Yeah, about the man Danno was going to meet." Steve smiled. Grace reminded him so much of her father - bright and to the point.

Grace nodded solemnly as she glanced into the ICU room where her mother now leaned over the bed where her Danno was surrounded by machines. Turning her attention back to Steve, her bottom lip quivered a little. She took a deep breath and her eyes were bright with tears as she began. "Daddy told me that he was sorry that he was going to be a little late but he had to meet a man at the International Markets. He said he would buy me a present while he was there."

"Did Danno tell you who the man was?" Steve pushed gently.

Grace shook her head, "He just said that he had to meet the man alone. Then he told me that he loved me and that he would see me soon." A single tear trickled down her face as she looked at Steve and whispered, "Is Danno really going to be okay? He isn't going to die, is he Steve?"

Startled by Grace's direct question, Steve answered truthfully, "I don't know kiddo, but what I do know is that your dad's a fighter and he is going to fight with all his might to stay here with you." The young girl nodded as McGarrett stood up and took her by the hand. "Now why don't we go in so you can see Danno?"

Rachel quickly wiped her tears, forcing a small smile as she turned to watch her daughter and the Commander entered the room. She could see the fear in Grace's eyes as her little girl approached the bed and felt her heart break that her daughter had to see her father so close to death like this. Encouraging her daughter to step closer to the bed, she softly told the young child that it was okay to give her father a kiss.

Stepping back to allow Grace some time to spend a quiet moment with Danny, Rachel was unable to stoop the tears from falling again.

"Oh God," She sobbed softly to McGarret, "This is so déjà vu. It's Jersey all over again." Steve had read in Danny's file about the shooting his partner had survived in Jersey two years before. He had seen the tell tale scar high in the middle of Danny's back but he remained silent as Rachel continued. "It was supposed to nothing more serious than some drunk who was causing a disturbance. Danny and his partner attended the scene. They didn't realize it was a set up - a guy with a grudge against cops was waiting in an apartment across the road. He opened fire with a semi –automatic as soon as they got out of their patrol car. "

The distraught woman looked down at the injured man on the bed as the tears ran freely down her face while her fingers twisted the tear soaked tissue she held in her hands. "Danny was hit in the back. His partner was hit in the shoulder but managed to drag him to cover and kept him alive until SWAT took the shooter out. It was four days before the doctors were even able to say that he would survive. Four of the worst days in my life. I'm sorry..."She choked with emotion as she lifted the sodden tissue and tried to dab away her tears." I...I just can't believe this is happening again. I... I thought that after I divorced him and married Stan..."

Placing his arm around her shoulder, Steve drew her a little closer and allowed her head to lean against his shoulder as he whispered reassuringly, "Danny is going to be fine. He is not going to let this beat him. And I promise you and Gracie - we are going to find whoever did this. "

Biting her bottom lip, Rachel nodded and forced a small smile as she reached for Danny's hand, being careful not to knock any of the myriad of wires and tubes that seemed to be connected to every part of his body and gave it a gentle squeeze. "Thank you, Mr. McGarrett."

Feeling his phone vibrate in his pocket, Steve quickly stepped out of the room with a nod as he removed the phone from his pocket. Looking quickly at the caller ID, he answered it with a brisk, "What have you got, Chin?"

"Big pilika, Steve. I think you had better get back to the Palace."

As he glanced through the glass window at his motionless partner, Steve sighed. "I'm on my way," he answered before he tapped the screen, ending the call.

Re-entering the room, he announced softly. "I'm sorry, but I have to go but I will be back later."

"Is there a break in the case?" Rachel asked hopefully.

"I'm not sure yet but I will keep you updated." Steve answered evasively before adding, "If you need me for anything, the medical staff and Grace have my cell phone number."

"Thank you... Steve." Rachel answered shyly. She watched as the Navy SEAL leaned down to whisper in her daughter's ear, "And remember Grace - no matter what ever happens, Danno loves you and always will."

Gracie nodded slowly, her eyes never leaving her father as McGarrett gently placed his hand on Danny's arm and said softly, "I know I promised to stay with you but something has come up. I'll be back as soon as I can so don't you dare go anywhere. You hear me?"

Straightening up, he turned he turned to the surgeon standing at quietly at the end of the bed, "If there is any change in his condition..."

"I will call you immediately," the doctor completed the request.

"Mahalo Doc." Steve breathed as he hurried from the room.

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Entering the office, the Lieutenant Commander headed directly across to the computer table where Chin was studying a familiar face on the screen.

"Danny received two calls." Chin started to explain as his fingers danced across the desk keyboard and an image appeared on the screen. "The first call was at 5.10 pm from Apalina Hopu. It lasted four minutes thirty two seconds."

McGarrett's eyes opened wide in surprise as he stared at Chin before he turned slowly to look at the face on the screen. "Hopu? Are you sure?"

Chin nodded as Kono entered the office and glanced at each man in confusion as she joined them at the table. "Who is Apalina Hopu?" the rookie cop asked as she stared at the face on the screen.

Her cousin directed his gaze at her, "He is the registered owner of the Exotic Moon Nightclub in Waikiki."

"The strip club?" Kono queried, frowning.

McGarrett nodded as he stared at the face on the screen. "But we have information that he is just the front man with connections to the Yakuza."

"The Japanese Mafia?" Kono breathed.

Her cousin nodded grimly, "Yeah. The Yakuza is believed to use the islands as a way station between Japan and the mainland in their drug and gun smuggling operations. Their drug of choice seems to be amphetamines but they are known to deal in cocaine as well. Word on the coconut wireless is that they are muscling in on prostitution, extortion and any other racket they can get their claws into on the islands. The Exotic Moon is suspected to be the cover for their operations. The word is that they are getting rid of anyone one whom they consider a rival." Glancing across to McGarrett, Chin continued, "Two minutes later Danny received a second call from Hopu. The call lasted less than a minute..."

"Enough time to confirm Danno was coming to the meet if the first call was to set it up." Steve surmised before noticing the surprised looks on his colleague faces, "Both Rachel and Grace told me that when Danny called to say he was going to be late picking Grace up that he told them that he was meeting with someone."

"And that someone was Hopu." Kono concluded.

"What do we know about Hopu?"

"He's a bit of an enigma Steve. Came to Honolulu from San Francisco about five years ago and immediately began dabbling in real estate. I have been unable to gain any information about him before 1998. I am running checks with the FBI now."

The Commander nodded as he added, "I will run a couple of checks myself."

"He first came to HPD's attention about twelve months ago. It was suspected that he was running a high-class prostitution racket from out of the club. Danny was one of the HPD officers in on the bust. All charges were later dismissed in court."

"So that's how he knew Danny - did he hold Danny responsible for the bust in any way?"

"He doesn't seem to, Steve. He appears to have taken the arrest on the chin, just as parts of the risks of running a strip club." Chin continued as he tapped a button on the keyboard and the face of a Japanese man appeared on the screen, "I did find out that Hupo has strong links to this man. Hiroshi Yamamoto, 42 yrs old, born in Tokyo. Currently his whereabouts are unknown but he is believed to be living on Oahu. He is a high ranking member of the Yakuza and HPD suspects that he is the money man behind the Exotic Moon."

"So the club could be a front for laundering the Yakuza's money." Kono mused as she stared at the two faces. "But what has that got to do with Danny? Why would Hopu arrange to meet with him?"

"And why would Danny agree to the meet if this is the man who Grace said he was meeting with?" Chin asked.

"I don't know but we are going to find out!" Steve growled as he turned and rushed out of the office with the cousins on his heels.

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Stepping through the front doors of the Exotic Moon Nightclub, McGarrett was unsurprised to find several patrons sitting at tables placed strategically around a stage, watching the young woman as she gyrated and swayed her way around the tables before she seductively unclipped her bra and dropped it onto the lap of a very appreciative customer.

Turning to Kono, the Lt Commander ordered. "I want you to stay out here and talk to some of the girls and the customers. Let's see if any of them know anything."

"Will do, Boss." Kono answered quietly, turning towards one of the exotic dancers sitting alone at a table in the corner of the room. Steve and Chin continued on towards the bartender who was watching them with interest from behind the bar.

Reaching the bar, McGarrett pulled out his badge and flashed it at the broad barreled, middle-aged man who stood behind the bar. "McGarrett, Five-0." he announced without preamble as he tilted his head toward Chin, "And this is Chin Ho Kelly."

"Pigs!" The bartender spat out with disgust as he eyed the gold badge in McGarrett's hand, "I thought I smelt bacon when you three walked in. What is this time, some sort of shake down? If it is then ya betta talk to the boss when he gets back."

"Hopu's not in?" McGarrett asked as he glanced towards the closed office door located at the end of the bar.

"The boss hasn't been here since yesterday. Ain't sure when he is due back. So if ya want talk to him Pig, ya outta luck."

"So who is in charge?" Chin asked.

"Apa's manager - Ikaika Manunui, that's who." The bartender answered smugly. "And he don't want to be disturbed."

"Oh, I'm sure he'll make an exception for us," The Navy SEAL grinned knowingly as he walked around the bar and headed towards the closed office door.

"Hey I just told ya Pig, Ikaika don't want to be disturbed." The bartender stepped in front of McGarrett to prevent him from proceeding any further but any more objections were silenced as he found himself looking at the barrel of the gun that suddenly appeared in McGarrett's hand.

"And I told you that he wouldn't mind talking to us." Steve smiled cordially as he directed the man to step away with his gun before he moved around him and opened the office door.

The greasy haired Hawaiian sitting behind the desk looked up as the office door swung open and a tall dark man stepped inside, accompanied by - if the coconut wireless was accurate - the dirty HPD cop Kelly.

"I'm sorry, Ikaika, I told them you didn't want to be disturbed..." Tommy rushed out fearfully as he followed them through the door.

"But we reassured your man that you wouldn't mind being disturbed by us." Steve announced as he flashed a gold badge at him, "McGarrett, Five-0 and this is..."

"I know who da dirty piece of bacon standing beside you is." The Hawaiian answered disdainfully as his eyes flickered over Chin settling onto the frightened bartender. "Its okay Tommy, go and tend da bar and please make sure dat we aren't disturbed anymore."

He waited until Tommy backed nervously out of the room and firmly closed the door before he returned his attention back to the two men standing in front of him. "And what brings Honolulu's finest ta our little nightclub? Maybe you both are hoping ta get da free services of one or three or more of our girls. If you are _Gentlemen, _'den I'm afraid you are both outta luck cause we run a legit business here and as both of ya know prostitution is against da laws of our fair state."

"I want to know where your boss Hopu is and what he wanted with my detective last night!" Steve growled.

Leaning back in his chair, Manunui smiled smugly. "Now why would I know that? What da boss does and with whom ain't none of my business. Maybe he had da taste for a little bacon on da side last night. Everyone knows da boss likes ta swing both ways. Maybe ya detective likes ta as well."

"Cut the crap." McGarrett warned as he stepped closer to the man sitting behind the desk. Already strained, his temper continued to rising. "Now where is your Boss?" He repeated firmly.

"I don't know, and even if I did why would I tell ya? Where and what Apa does and who he does it with ain't none of my business, Pig. What do you think I am - his mother? He don't have ta tell me anything. He comes and goes as he pleases. After all, he's da boss."

Launching forward, McGarrett grabbed the Hawaiian and pulled him up and off the chair. The Navy SEAL swung him around and slammed him hard against the wall as he twisted the man's arm roughly up behind his back until Ikaika winced in pain. "No more smug remarks, alright?" He hissed menacingly into Manunui's ear. "Tell me where your boss is hiding and why he called Detective Williams last night."

"I'm telling you, I don't know where Apa is!" Ikaika moaned, his bravado gone. He had to bite hard on the inside of his cheek to stop screaming out in pain as McGarrett wrenched his arm a little tighter. "Or why…why da Boss would call a cop last night. Maybe he had a speeding ticket that he needed fixed. All I can tell ya is he made two phone calls last night before he left. He said he had someone ta see and dat he wouldn't be long. But when he didn't come back I figure he scored with some wahine."

"Steve," Chin warned, before moving to grab McGarrett's arms to pull him away, ignoring his boss's attempts to shake him off. "Enough!"

Pushing the Hawaiian's arm to breaking point, the angry dark haired man ignored Chin's soft warning and the other man's pain filled groan as he warned, "You had better not be lying to me because if you are the next time I pay you a visit - I will be alone!" Stepping back, he released Manunui's arm before he turned and walked out of the office with Chin close on his heels.

Turning around, Ikaika blinked the tears of pain out of his eyes as he cradled his arm, rubbing his shoulder gently where that crazy McGarrett had latched on. "This is police brutality, Pigs," he began to shout at their retreating backs, his eyes stinging from the hurt to his arm and his pride. "I am gunna lay charges. Don't ya think for a minute that I won't! Ya ain't gunna get away with it. I'm gunna sue! Just see if I won't!"


	4. Chapter 4

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"He knows something!" Steve growled as he stepped out into the warm Hawaiian sunshine. The sudden blare of his ringtone had him snatching his cell phone out of his pocket before glaring at the caller I.D. which read HPD. He answered with a curt "McGarrett." Stopping midstride as he listened to the caller, his forehead creased before he demanded, "Where?" Kono and Chin paused beside him and waited patiently as he listened to the answer before telling the caller they were on their way. Ending the call, he turned towards the two cousins. "HPD have found Danny's car on a small access road close to where he was found. Let's go!"

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Gingerly stepping over the sandy ground to avoid disturbing any evidence or footprints that may be easily lost around the familiar silver Camaro, Duke glanced into the abandoned car through the open driver's door, grimacing at the blood stains on the passenger seat and the window before his eyes trailed to the keys still dangling from the ignition. The grimace turned into a frown as the HPD sergeant leaned a bit closer to get a better view and noticed a bit of plastic poking out from under the driver's seat. He clenched his teeth as he moved a shaking hand towards the white plastic and pulled it closer to him, revealing that the corner of a bag with several hundred-dollar bills scattered on the floor around it.

He straightened up and turned as he heard footsteps close behind him, unsurprised to see the three members of the Hawaii Five-0 taskforce hurrying towards him. Grinning, he suspected that Steve had probably broken every road rule to get here since the phone call but that was understandable – his partner's life was on the line and every single scrap of evidence could help. Danny Williams was one of their own, one of their ohana. He nodded a greeting to Steve, Chin and Kono before returning his attention to the car as started his preliminary report. "A couple of surfers taking a short cut down to the beach found the car. At first they thought someone had parked it here while they went for a swim until they got a little closer." Duke eased himself out with great care and headed towards the back of the Camaro, indicating towards a partial bloody hand print above the right tail light and the dark crimson stained sand in a depression next to the car.

"Have you checked it?" Steve asked as he inclined his head towards the trunk.

"Not yet, I was about to when you arrived. The keys are still in the ignition," Duke replied, carefully stepping around the car as he indicated to the interior. "There's more," he announced cryptically as he took a step back to let the three members of the Five-0 taskforce get a closer look inside. "Under the driver's seat," he directed. "I noticed it as I was checking for the keys."

"It looks like a bag full of money." Kono breathed as Steve and Chin pulled blue gloves from their pockets and slipped them onto their hands.

Steve nodded as he reached for the keys in the ignition, removing them and passing them to Chin before he stared the bag and the money beneath the driver's seat. He carefully tugged the bag free. Straightening up, he carefully open the bag to examine its contents. It looked like there were thousands of dollars in what appeared to be hundred-dollar bills. He could hear Kono gasp but Steve was trying to make sense of why exactly Danny would have this amount of money in his car-

"Steve!"

Placing the bag back onto the driver's seat, Steve looked up to see the cousins' faces twisted in horror as they stared at the contents of the trunk. He rushed to where they were before flicking his steely gaze down at the open trunk, his eyes widening in shock as he pressed his lips together in a grim smile.

"I think we just found Apalina Hopu." Chin announced, stepping aside to allow his boss to see the hog tied, bloodied body within.

Studying the pinched look of pain and the duct tape wound around the deceased's head that attempted to hide the bulge of a crude cloth gag, Steve let his eyes travel along unnatural bending of limbs to catalogue the purple and yellow bruises that peeked through the tears in his blood-soaked shirt before stopping at the deep gash across his neck. The nightclub owner's death had neither been quick or easy – even in death he looked tormented.

Forcing himself to remain detached as acidic dread churned inside, Steve's thoughts drifted back to his partner in the hospital and he wondered what sort of horrors Danny had gone through before he was left to die. He looked again to the bruises that marred Hopu and he couldn't help but consider how they looked so similar to the ones he had seen on Danny at the hospital. His breath hitched at the implications - how much of this physical torture did Danny endure? Why did they even do that to Danno?

Even at the height of anxiety, Steve still maintained a level head as he considered the evidence. What was the connection Danny with Hopu - why had he met with the nightclub owner at the International Markets? He knew for a fact that any time with Grace was sacrosanct and it must have been very big for the father to even contemplate being late for a visit with Gracie. There was no doubt that this was the man whom Danny had told Gracie and Rachel that he was going to meet. What about the money in the car? Everything pointed to a deal being made by Apalina and his partner. But why? Did the money have anything to do with both men ending up like this – one dead and one almost? The thought caused his chest to tighten and he took a deep calming breath before making his decision. Whatever this was, Five-0 were going to get to the bottom of it.

"Chin, I want Charlie and the rest of the lab here. Have them go over every surface, every detail with a fine tooth comb. Bag everything, nothing is to be missed. Take the car back to the lab. Then count the money and run a trace on the serial numbers. Let's see if the money is hot. Also contact Max, tell him we have a customer for him. Top priority." Turning to Kono, he ordered, "I want you to interview the surfers who found the car. Maybe they noticed someone around. Get Duke and some of the HPD guys to help you. I will meet you back at the palace. I think I will pay another little visit with Hupo's manager…" As he finished, his cell phone began to ring. Steve reached into his pocket and glanced at the unfamiliar call ID before answering with a curt, "McGarrett."

"Steve, it's Rachel. It's Daniel. You need to come back to the hospital fast." He felt his heart stop as Rachel's tearful message ended in a choked, heartbroken sob.


	5. Chapter 5

AN- mahalo for all the awesome reviews and to everyone who has placed this story on alerts and your favorite list. You guys are awesome!

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The doors to the elevator slowly slid open as McGarrett stepped out and ran towards the closed doors of the Intensive Care Unit. Pushing the doors open, he raced inside, his heart rising into his throat as he saw medical staff rushing into Danny's room. Rachel and Gracie stood huddled together in the corridor, their eyes wide in fear as they stared through the glass wall at the scene within the room. The normally hushed ambiance of the ICU was shattered by a familiar agitated voice emitting from the room.

Rachel looked away from the terrifying scene of the doctor and nurses struggling to restrain Danny in the bed as he struggled weakly against them, obviously confused and frightened, as she saw McGarrett hurrying towards her. "Oh Steve," She cried in relief as the Lt Commander hurried to join them. "I'm glad you are here. I didn't know what else to do. … Daniel…"

McGarrett nodded as he gave her arm a reassuring squeeze before he turned and hurried into the room. "What's happening?" He demanded as he hurried to the edge of the bed where Danny was struggling weakly against the many restraining hands that held him down on the bed as he cried out to let him go.

Looking up from the agitated patient at Steve, the doctor answered loudly over Danny's hoarse objections of being held down, "He regained consciousness faster than we anticipated. With the combination of the anesthetic and the head injury he is extremely confused and agitated. I don't want to have to sedate him but I will have to if we can't get him to settle down." He grunted in surprise as Danny managed to free an arm and weakly struck him in the chest."Grab his arm!" he demanded before he turned his attention to the young nurse standing beside him. "Let's start him with 3mgs Midazolam- slow IV push. Also get ready in case we need to intubate."

"Whoa…" Steve gasped shocked at the doctor's orders, "Intubate?"

"The sedation could suppress his breathing, but if we don't sedate him and get him settled, he is going to aggravate his injuries. We can't risk his blood pressure rising too much with the sub dural bleed." The doctor answered distractedly as Danny cried out again and increased his struggles, arching his back off the bad as he tried hard to break loose again. "Where's that damn sedation!"

"Wait! Wait!" McGarrett held up his hand as he shouldered his way between the doctor and the nurse. "Let me try and calm him before you sedate him."

Biting his lip in momentary indecision as he watched the staff's attempts to restrain the critically injured and confused detective, he sighed and nodded. "Give it a go. But if he doesn't calm down soon, I will have to sedate him."

"Let go of him!" Steve ordered as he stepped closer to the bed.

The nursing staff glanced towards the doctor, who nodded silently and released his own grip on Danny's arm as the nurses cautiously did the same and stepped back, watching.

Ignoring the medical staff who surrounded the bed, Steve placed his hand gently on Danny's arm, rubbing it lightly as he leaned closer and softly whispered, "Danny… Danno …"

The blonde haired detective pulled away, his glazed eyes wide with fear as he raised his hands in an attempt to push McGarrett away. "Get away from me!"

Ignoring his friend's confusion Steve gently but firmly captured Danny's hands in his, being careful not to dislodge the IV as Danny struggled to break free, as he continued softly, "Easy partner, easy. You're safe. It's me…Steve… "

"Steve…"

The Navy SEAL smiled as Danny stopped struggling and stared up at him, his face still clouded with confusion, "Yeah, Danno, it's me… You're safe partner, you're in Queens Hospital."

"Hospital…" Danny whispered as his eyes travelled around the room nervously eyeing each of the medical staff members who surrounded the bed before they returned to McGarrett's face, full of fear. "Grace…"

Seeing the panic in his partner's eyes and aware of the doctor stepping closer to the bed, Steve quickly waved the doctor back with one hand as he kept his attention on Danny, softly reassuring him. "She's fine Danno. She wasn't with you."

"She's… safe?" Danny whispered weakly as he struggled to stay awake.

Lightly rubbing his hand along Danny's arm, Steve smiled. "She's fine Danny. She's waiting with Rachel just outside but the doctors want you to get a little stronger before you have too many visitors. She asked me to tell you she loves her Danno! Now you need to try and sleep. I promise I will be here when you wake up. Gracie's safe. I won't let anything happen to her."

Danny nodded as his eyes drifted slowly closed and his head lolled to the side as he lost his fight to remain conscious.

Allowing his hand to linger for a few more moments on Danny's arm, Steve watched silently as the doctor stepped forward and read the readings from the myriad of machines that were attached to his partner. "How is he?"

"Blood pressure is up." The doctor murmured, ignoring Steve's question, as he pulled a flash light from his pocket and quickly checked both of Danny's pupils before looking across at the nurse and ordered, "Let's get another MRI on his head. I want to keep a close eye on the sub dural bleed. Also lets give him some light sedation-I don't want him growing agitated again." The nurse nodded and slipped from the room, followed by the other medical staff.

"How is he?" Steve demanded again as his eyes flickered between the doctor and his partner in the bed.

The doctor sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "I'm worried about the effect his agitation and the rise in his blood pressure has had with the sub dural bleeding. We will know more when we do the MRI. Mahalo for helping us settle him down." The doctor paused a moment before looking down at his unconscious patient before looking back up at Steve and asking quietly." I hope that you might consider remaining with him …"

Steve nodded, as much as he wanted to be out tearing up the islands searching for the bastard who was responsible for what happened to Danny, Danno needed him more to remain here with him. He lightly squeezed the arm beneath his hand, and here was where he most wanted to be. "I'll stay," He quickly reassured the doctor before groaning aloud as he felt his cell phone vibrate.

Stepping outside to answer his phone as the nurse re entered the room, Steve glanced at the caller ID before answering softly as he walked away out of ear shot of Rachel and Gracie, who were both still standing near the door, "What have you got, Chin?"

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	6. Chapter 6

Chin Ho Kelly stared at the fingerprint matches on the screen as he waited for McGarrett to answer his phone. He wasn't sure just what Danny Williams had managed to get himself involved in but whatever it was, it could result in the loss of Danny's career and a possible long stint in prison if Danny managed to recover from his injuries. His depressing thoughts were interrupted as he heard Steve's voice in his ear. "What have you got, Chin?" Turning his attention back to the phone, Chin sighed before answering, "I have the results of the fingerprints found on the money and the bag and it's not good, brah! There are two sets of clear prints on several of the notes and on the bag that belong to Hopu and Danny."

"Damn, are you sure?" Steve breathed softly, his breath catching in his throat at the damning implication of what Chin was telling him.

"I am looking at the matches on the screen," Chin answered reluctantly, hating to crush that one small flicker of impossible hope that Steve still might have held that there could be some sort of mistake before he added softly, "and there's more, Steve. When Charlie was searching Danny's car he found a small notebook hidden under the seat." Chin momentarily paused, dreading having to tell McGarrett about the next piece of evidence they had recovered, before he continued, "It contains handwritten notations of dates, Hopu's initials and varying amounts of money, where the latest amount tallies exactly with the amount that was found in the bag."

"Is it Danny's handwriting?" He heard the Navy SEAL ask softly.

"I'm not sure Steve, Charlie is running a comparison at the moment but it looked like Danny's writing to me." Chin sighed.

"What about the print on the partial handprint on the car?"

"No hits on it yet Steve, but the blood was Danny's blood type, so was the blood found pooled in the sand beside the car. Also Charlie found more fingerprints and strands of hair on the duct tape used to hogtie Hopu and hold his gag in place. The prints match those of the partial handprint." Chin replied.

"And the money?" Steve demanded quietly, as he ran a hand through his hair and turned away from Rachel and Gracie.

"There was ten thousand dollars Steve, one hundred-dollar or lower denominations, although several of the notes were nearly new and the serial numbers were linked to money stolen during an armed robbery of the Bank of Hawaii on Lana'i about six months ago. " Chin answered as he tucked his cell phone between his shoulder and head before his fingers quickly tapped the keyboard in the desk in front of him, bringing up a new window to the computer screen. He quickly scanned the information before he added, "The bank robbers netted over one hundred thousand dollars, Steve. They got away clean and none of the money has surfaced…until now… Lana'i P.D suspects the robbery was an inside job. One of the bank guards disappeared shortly after the robbery. The remains of his body was found buried in the sand on Polihua Beach two weeks after the robbery and his disappearance by a young boy who was building sand castles on a family outing. He had been hog tied with duct tape and beaten to death."

The Navy SEAL's silence was deafening and Chin wondered briefly if Steve had hung up and he was listening to dead air. He jumped when McGarrett finally spoke. "I want you to get everything you can about the robbery and the bank guard. And you better get a search warrant and check all of Danny's bank accounts for any unusual transactions as well, also check any accounts that Danny may have opened in Gracie's name."

"Steve, you don't really believe …" Chin gasped in disbelief.

"Not for one single second, brah," Steve answered emphatically, before lowering his voice as Rachel turned and looked at him. He turned away from her as he quietly continued, "I don't know just what the hell Danny has gotten himself into or why he never told us what he is up to, but to prove his innocence of any possible wrong doing we are going to have to do this one strictly by the book. Has Duke or Kono had any luck interviewing the surfers?"

"Not yet. Kono said some of the surfers whom she has spoken to and knows quite well, appeared scared and reluctant to even talk to her. It's like all the surfers have suddenly been struck deaf and blind, nobody saw or heard anything at all. They are still canvasing the area. Hopefully they will find someone who saw something and are willing to talk. Max is still carrying out the autopsy, I will drop his report over to you at the hospital when it's complete." Chin informed his boss as he reached for the phone again and held it against his ear. "How is Danny?"

"Not good, Chin." Was Steve's soft but ominous reply as he turned and looked towards the ICU room that his partner occupied. "Keep me updated."

"Will do, Boss."

But Chin's acceptance of the softly spoken order was cut short as Steve stabbed the end call button, before slipping the phone back into his pocket before he turned and walked back to where Rachel and Gracie stood, huddled together, silently watching him.

0)0)0)0)0)0)0)


	7. Chapter 7

"A silver Camaro?" Mike frowned as he thought about Kono's question as he picked up his surf board and began to walk with her towards the parking lot. "Yeah, I saw the car parked in the parking lot but I didn't think anything about it. I've seen the car parked there a couple of times in the last few weeks, always around the same time and with the same two guys sitting in it."

"Are you sure it was the same car?"

"Yeah, and always with the same two guys sitting in it- Apalina Hopu and some blonde haole," the young surfer laughed as he added, "The haole always has his hair slicked back and wears a tie."

"Are you sure it was Hopu with the blonde haole?" The rookie frowned.

"Ohhh yeah, it was Hopu." The surfer nodded with certainty, "Everyone knows just who Hopu is."

Pulling a small photo of Danny from her pocket, Kono swallowed hard in an attempt to keep her voice from wavering as she showed the photo to Mike. "Is this the other man you saw in the car?"

Taking the photo from Kono's hand, he studied it for a moment before he handed it back, "Yeah, yeah, that's him. That's the blonde haired guy I saw in the car with Hopu."

"You're positive?" Kono pressed.

"Without a doubt, that's him."

"Did you notice what they were doing each time you saw them parked there?"

"Just talking…" Mike paused a moment before he shrugged and added, "Or maybe they were arguing. The blonde guy would gesture wildly with his hands."

"Could you hear anything they said?" Kono asked.

"Hey, this is Hopu we're talkin' about." The fear in the surfer's face was clearly evident as he stopped walking and turned towards the rookie Five-O cop before he added emphatically, "There was _no_ way I was gunna get anywhere near that car to overhear what they were talkin' about. I like livin' if you know what I mean." Kono nodded silently as the surfer quickly looked around and held his board a little tighter before he looked back at her and admitted nervously. "But last night I did see Hopu hand the blonde haole a white plastic shopping bag- you know the sort of bag you get when you buy something at the mall."

"Could you see what was in the bag?" Kono pressed.

Glancing around again to ensure that no one was able to overhear what he was about to say, Mike returned his attention Kono as he said quietly. "I…I can't be sure but I think it could have been some sort of a payoff."

"A payoff?" Kono frowned as they began to slowly walk towards the parking lot again. "Are you sure?"

Mike swallowed hard and nodded. "Yeah… The …the haole opened the bag after Hopu handed it to him and took some money out. That's when I decided it was time to get out of here fast." Looking nervously around again, the young surfer gripped his board tighter before he turned back to Kono and asked, "Look Kono, that's all I saw, I swear. Can I go, now?"

The young Five 0 rookie nodded her permission and watched the frightened surfer hurried away. Biting her bottom lip, she pulled her phone out of her pocket and hit the speed dial button that connected her to Steve.

OoOoOoOoO

"Has something happened?" Rachel asked anxiously as Steve joined them again.

The Navy SEAL forced a small smile and shook his head, "No, Chin was just checking in. We are still trying to trace Danny's movements last night, it takes time."

Biting her bottom lip, Rachel nodded her acceptance of his evasive answer but she had been the wife of a cop long enough to know when not to ask anymore questions.

Steve nodded towards Grace, who had slipped away from her mother's side and was now standing at the end of Danny's hospital bed, her eyes wide with fear as she watched as the doctors and nurses carefully prepared Danny to be taken downstairs for the MRI. Looking at the battered and bruised face of his partner, he knew Danny would not want Gracie to see him like this. "Why don't you take her home?" he suggested softly.

"What about Daniel? What if he wakes? What if he… he…?" Rachel swallowed down the sob that threatened to escape as she glanced at her daughter to reassure herself Grace was not paying attention to their conversation before she looked back at Steve, her eyelashes wet with tears.

Placing a hand lightly on her arm, he gave it a light reassuring squeeze as he gently encouraged her, "Go on, take Grace home, there is nothing more you can do here. I promise that I will stay with Danny and that I'll call you immediately if there is any change in his condition."

Looking at the terrified look on her daughter's face, Rachel was aware that the Commander was right. There was nothing more they could do here except wait…and pray… Just like she had two years before. And she also had to think of Stan. Things between them had become a little strained since Danny had come to the islands. "You promise to call if there is the slightest change?"

"I promise." Steve reiterated again.

Rachel reluctantly nodded her head in agreement as Steve's phone rang again.

Reaching into his pocket, Steve pulled his cell phone out and quietly answered it with "McGarrett", walking away from Danny's hospital room door as Rachel enter the hospital room and softly speak to her daughter before taking her by the hand and leading her out of the room. He gave them a distracted goodbye nod as he listened to Kono's report before telling the rookie to return to the palace and help Chin trace Danny's and Hupo's financial records, promising her to keep the cousins updated if there was any change in Danny's condition before hanging up. He rubbed a hand over the back of his head in frustration as he turned and watched the nurses and doctors wheel Danny from his hospital room and sighed before he whispered angrily in the direction his partner had been taken. "What the fuck have you been up to, Danny? And just how the hell did you even let yourself get mixed up with Hupo?"

OoOoOoOo


	8. Chapter 8

Glancing up at the computer screen, Chin studied the two bank accounts side by side, before his fingers danced quickly over the desk keyboard and a third window opened on the screen, revealing a copy of a page from the book found with the bag of money appeared.

"Hey Cuz, find something?" Kono asked as she joined him at the table and looked up at the screen.

"Yeah," Chin answered sighed as he nodded towards the screen. "Hopu has been withdrawing ten thousand dollars cash from his personal account like clockwork every Friday afternoon for the last ten weeks."

"Maybe he was using it as a cash float for the nightclub over the weekend." Kono suggested as she looked up at the bank accounts on the screen.

"I thought that as well but his business accounts show that he keeps a cash float for the club that covers the full week and is banked every Monday, after which he withdraws the new week's cash float." Chin nodded towards the second window on the screen before he sighed again and nodded to the third window he had just opened. "And according to the figures in the book we found in the bag of money from Danny's car, Danny has received ten thousand dollars every Friday for the past ten weeks but there has been no corresponding transactions to Danny's, Graces or Rachel's bank accounts and no new accounts that I can find that Danny has opened recently."

"A surfer I spoke to said he saw Hopu meeting with Danny in the parking lot at the cove where he was found. He said it looked like some sort of a pay off between Hopu and Danny." Kono told her cousin as she glanced at him before returning her attention back to the screen. "So…" she began almost reluctantly, "if the money Hopu has been withdrawing is some kind of payment, than where is the money?"

"I think I can answer that question, although I don't think it's the answer that you want to really want to know." Charlie Fong announced as he entered the office and joined the two cousins at the table as he handed Chin a small evidence bag that contained a small key. "I found this hidden in the lining of the driver's seat of Danny's car."

"It's a bank security box key." Chin frowned.

"From the Bank of Hawaii." Charlie confirmed. "And I found a set of fingerprints on it- Danny's."

"Danny's?" Kono swallowed hard as she looked at the forensic specialist. "Are you sure?"

"I checked twice, to confirm the results, there is no doubt." The forensic specialist answered as he handed Chin the manila folder he was carrying, "But there's more bad news I'm afraid, the handwriting in the book also belongs to Danny. I'm sorry, guys." Charlie said softly.

Chin sighed as he opened the folder, his heart sinking as he glanced at Fong's written report before he looked up and clapped Charlie on the shoulder. "Any luck with the palm print?"

"Not yet, but I will keep searching." Charlie answered as he turned and followed Chin and Kono out of the office.

Chin nodded before he turned to Kono, "We're going to need a search warrant for the bank security box." As he turned and hurried towards the door with Kono following as he added over his shoulder to her. "We can radio Duke to meet us the bank with it."


	9. Chapter 9

With the search warrant, Chin had given him, still clutched in his hand, the bank manager led Chin and Kono into the safe deposit box room and closed the door securely behind them. Glancing around the many rows of small locked doors, he hesitated only a moment looking for the number he was searching for before he went to the small door that he had been ordered to open. "This is the box you are looking for." He announced as he inserted the key the Five 0 officer had given him into the lock, he unlocked the door and gently pulled out the covered box from inside the cavity and handed it silently to Chin.

"Thank you." Chin smiled cordially as he accepted the box before he turned and placed it on the table in the middle of the small room. "We will let you know when we have finished." Chin added politely as the bank manager moved closer to the table, curious to see what was in the box.

"Ohh," the manager murmured, disappointed, as he reluctantly moved towards the door, "I'll just be outside if you need help with anything else."

Chin nodded and waited until the manager left the room and had closed the door before he turned back to the box and lifted the lid.

"Wow!" Kono gasped softly, staring at the contents within the box.

"There has to be at least three hundred thousand, maybe more…" Duke murmured as he stared at the multiple bundles of hundred dollar notes, stuffed tightly within the box as Chin quickly pulled on a glove and removed a small black book that rested on top, placing it on the table.

Carefully opening the book, Chin flicked through several pages which contained what appeared to be the initials of people's names, dates and dollar amounts, all carefully printed in what appeared to be Danny's familiar scrawl.

"What's that?" Kono asked as she glanced at the book her cousin was examining.

"It looks like Danny or someone was keeping a tab on payments." Chin answered quietly as he closed the book and placed it into a clear plastic evidence bag that he had brought with him before he pulled out and opened a second larger and much darker evidence bag and began to carefully place the money into it as Duke also pulled on gloves and helped him. "And it looks like Hopu wasn't the only one who was making payments."

"Kono, I want you to check with the bank manager. I want to know when, how and who opened the account for the security box." Chin ordered as he picked up the evidence bag containing the small black book. "Find out if they came into the bank to open it and if they did, I want the security footage of them. Duke and I will take the money back to HPD and the book to the lab before I head over to the hospital and let Steve know what we have found."

"On it, Chin." Kono answered as she turned and hurried out of the room.

"You don't think Danny was …" Duke asked softly as he picked up the evidence bag containing the money and followed Chin out of the room.

"No." Chin shook his head instantly, his belief in Danny's innocence evident as they left the bank.

OoOoOoOoO

Studying Danny's latest MRI, the surgeon frowned as his finger traced over the large, dark shadow on the film. He sighed as he turned and studied the results of the MRI that was taken just after the detective's admission before he turned back to the latest scan again. He had hoped that the subdural hematoma would resolve itself without the need for any surgical intervention but latest MRI results and the rapid deterioration in the detective's condition indicated that the time was running out. He rubbed his hand through his hair as he glanced through the glass window at his critically ill patient, lying motionless on the MRI table. Williams had lost consciousness in the elevator on the way down for the test. He sighed, knowing that if his patient was to have any chance at all, there was no other option. With a final glance at the latest MRI film, he turned towards the nurse and ordered softly. "Contact the O.R. and tell them we are bringing him straight up."

OoOoOoO


	10. Chapter 10

Steve ran a shaking hand over his head as he watched the surgeon disappear down the corridor. The surgeon had just informed him that Danny was being rushed into surgery to stop the subdural bleeding and to remove the growing blood clot that was pressing on Danny's brain.

"Steve!"

The worried Navy SEAL turned as Chin hurried toward him.

"How's Danny?" Chin asked as he reached his boss.

"Not good. They have taken him into surgery to try and stop the bleeding on his brain. It could be a couple of hours before they can tell us anymore…" Steve sighed as he cast a quick worried glance over his shoulder in the direction that the surgeon had gone before he looked back at Chin, "What have we got so far?"

"Nothing good, Steve," Chin answered softly, "Hopu has been withdrawing ten thousand dollars cash from his personal account like clockwork every Friday afternoon for the last ten weeks, which corresponded with the amounts listed in the book that we found with the money in Danny's car."

"From his own personal account and not from his business account, are you sure?" Steve frowned.

Chin nodded before he added grimly, "And there's more, Steve, Charlie found a small key in hidden in the lining of the car seat in Danny's car. The key had Danny's fingerprints all over it and we managed to trace it back to a security box at the Bank of Hawaii. The account was opened in Danny's name."

"Danny's name?"

"We got a court ordered and opened the box, it contained another three hundred and twenty-six thousand dollars." Steve let out a small, astonished whistle as Chin reluctantly continued, "And a second book containing dates, names and amounts... Charlie just confirmed the writing in the book is Danny's handwriting."

"Is he positive?" Steve asked in disbelief.

"Positive enough to testify its Danny's handwriting in court if he has to." Chin quietly told his boss as his phone began to ring. Pulling his cell phone out of his pocket, he glanced at the caller IO before he answered with, "What have you got for me, Cuz?" He listened to his cousin for a couple of minutes, before telling her that he would return to the Palace. Disconnecting the call, he looked back at Steve, "Kono has the security video from the bank taken the day the security box account was open and some of video footage taken at the times when the security box was accessed. She's got something."

"Go," Steve ordered. "Let me know what we've got."

"Will do, Steve, and …"

"I will let you know anything as soon as I do." Steve forced a small smile, knowing instantly what Chin's request was going to be.

"Thanks," Chin nodded before he turned and hurried to the elevator.

OoOoOoOoOoO

Kono looked up from the computer table as the glass doors slid open and Chin entered the office. "How's Danny?" She asked anxiously as he joined her at the table.

"He's been rushed into surgery to control the bleeding on his brain. Steve's going to keep us updated but it doesn't sound good." Chin told his cousin.

Kono swallowed hard, "How's the boss?"

Chin shook his head before he cleared his throat and asked, "What have you got?"

"I've got the bank security video taken at the time that the time that the security box account was open and it's not good. The video confirms that Danny set up the security box account." Kono sighed as she tapped a couple of keys on the keyboard and brought up the grainy video up on the screen. Danny appeared on the screen, entering the bank and talking to a teller before filling out some paperwork and being led towards the secured room where the security boxes were kept. "Charlie is checking the signature on the box application form but…"

"It's just a formality." Chin sighed as he finished his cousin's sentence.

Kono nodded before she hit a few more keys on the keyboard as she opened more videos, slightly overlapped each other, each with a different time stamp in the corner, each showing Danny entering the bank on three more different occasions, signing in before going to the security box room as she continued her report, "He returned to the bank weekly, usually just after opening time early Saturday mornings, and he went to the security box room each time."

"Saturday mornings?" Chin frowned.

"Probably before he had to pick Grace up from his ex-wife." Kono surmised.

"Anything else?" Chin asked, his heart sinking at the damning evidence that was slowly mounting against Danny.

"I think I might have found something when I was checking the videos." Kono announced as she dragged one of the smaller videos on the side of the screen into the middle of the screen before zooming in a figure standing in the street. The figure was slightly distorted by the glass and difficult to identify. Dragging some of the other videos into the middle of the computer screen, Kono zoomed in on the same figure seen in the window in each one as she continued. "As I was looking at the videos, I noticed this guy in the window of the bank. He appears in the window just after Danny enters the bank and moves away just before Danny leaves."

"Are they following Danny or waiting for him?" Chin asked as he moved closer to the screen. "Can you get a clearer image?"

"The glass distorts the image too much." Kono told her cousin as her fingers began to dance across the keyboard again, as she added, "But the bank's ATM is next to that window and I was able to pull these pictures from the ATM camera." Three more pictures showing the same man in the background behind people using the machine at the relevant times appeared on the screen.

Chin stared up at the image on the screen. "Manunui!"


End file.
